Party Games
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Players Needed:
2+
What You Need:
Donkey Poster and Tails
Blu Tack
Coloured Marker
Blindfold
How To Play:
Stick the donkey poster on your wall in an open area at child height.
Blindfold the first player and spin them around about 10 times.
Point the player at the game board and let them try to stick the tail on the donkey.
Each player has a turn and the closest to the donkey tail at the end wins!
Alternative:
You can pink the tail on the bunny, tiara on the princess, carrot on the snowman, etc...
Pass The Parcel
Number of players:
6+
What you need:
Wrapping paper
Sticky tape
Chocolate or small gifts
Music
How To Play:
Wrap a bar of chocolate (or some other small gift), in a layer of wrapping paper.
Now wrap it in another layer with a new bar of chocolate/gift and repeat until you have 9 or 10 layers (or however many children there are).Sit everyone in a circle and play a short snippet of music.
When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes one layer of wrapping and gets that treat.Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed, restarting and then stopping the music each time.
You can use different treats for each layer to add a bit of mystery and keep the children interested longer.
Bobbing For Apples
Players Needed:
2+
What You Need:
Small apples with stems (1 per child)
String
How To Play:
Pre-party...Attach string to stem of each apple and hang from a tree or stable object so the apple is at children's eye level.
To play the game, the children must try to take a bite out of their apples without using their hands. Hands must be kept behind their back. The children will have a challenging time keeping the apples still long enough to take a bite. Whoever eats their apple first, wins.
Lolly Relay
Players Needed:
6+
What you need:
2 pairs of mittens
Lollies with wrappers
How To Play:
Divide the children into two teams and have them form lines.
Give the first child in each line a pair of mittens.
Give everyone a wrapped lolly.When you say "go", the first player in each line puts on the mittens, unwraps the lolly and pops it into their mouth.
Then they quickly take the mittens off and hand them to the second person in line.The second player does the same and so on, down the line.
The team that finishes first, wins.
Tug Of War
Players Needed:
6+
What You Need:
A rope - the longer the better
How To Play:
Split the children and adults evenly on either side of the rope.
It works best with the smaller or weaker players towards the middle and the stronger players at the ends.Find a spot on the ground to mark as the middle. The objective is for one team to pull the other over the mark on the ground.To start, someone yells "go" and everyone starts pulling as hard as they can ... until one team crumbles and they're all pulled across the line.
Three-Legged Race
Players Needed:
8+
What You Need:
Oversized stocking that will fit two feet
String or rope
Masking tape
How To Play:
Pair up one child with an adult or one of the taller kids. This makes the game more fun.
Each team slips one leg into an oversized stocking and ties it with string or rope at the top to keep it up.
Line up the teams at one end of the garden and have someone put down a long strip masking tape to mark the finish line.
Yell “Go” and watch the kids race.
The first team across the line wins!
Duck, Duck, Goose
Players Needed:
4+
What You Need:
Prize
How To Play:
In this game, kids sit down in a circle facing each other.
One person is "it" and walks around the circle. As they walk around, they tap people's heads and say whether they are a "duck" or a "goose".Once someone is the goose they get up and try to chase "it" around the circle. The goal is to tap that person before they are able sit down in the goose's spot.If the goose is not able to do this, they become "it" for the next round and play continues. If they do tap the "it" person, the person tagged has to sit in the centre of the circle.Then the goose becomes it for the next round. The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.
Egg And Spoon Race
Players Needed:
4+
What You Need:
Teaspoon
Eggs - preferably hard boiled or golf balls
How To Play:
A race of balance!
Arrange all of the children at a start line with an egg and a teaspoon each.
When you are ready to start the race, ask them to place the egg onto their spoon and then place their other arm behind their back.When you say go, the children will race - as fast as they can without the egg rolling off the spoon - to the finish line.If the egg falls, the child goes out.
Whoever crosses the finish line first with their egg still balanced on their spoon and an arm behind their back, wins.
Apple Dunk
Players Needed:
3+
What You Need:
Small apples with stems removed
Bucket of Water
How To Play:
Fill large bucket with water and float apples on water surface.
To play the game, children must remove the apples from the bucket without using their hands. Children can place hands on bucket for stability.
Alternative:
The game for more difficulty by blind foling older children or by tieing hands behind their back.
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Potato Sack Race
Players Needed:
2+
What You Need:
Potato Sacks - 1 for each player
How To Play:
Create a start and finish line a good distance apart, depending on the age and capability of your guests.
Ready, set, go!
The first player to cross the finish line is the winner.
Alternatives:
This can be made more complicated using cones to create an obstacle course.
Musical Chairs
Players Needed:
6+
What You Need:
Music
Chairs
How To Play:
The chairs are set up in two rows back to back (one chair less than the number of players).The music is turned on, and the players skip around the chairs.
When the music stops the players race to sit in the available chairs.
The player left standing is taken out of the game.
The players all stand again and a chair is removed.
The music is started and the children skip around the chairs again.
This procedure is continued until only one person remains. Last child 'sitting' is the winner.